Choices
by Alli Claraissa Near
Summary: Being the Pirate King comes with Hard Choices.
1. Chapter 1

"What will you choose? Your _friends_ or your _brothers."_

Luffy is frozen, staring at the three blue skinned ladies (weird, wonder if they can poop?) in front of him. His nakama wrapped up in chains and sea stone nearly ten feet away from him. in between the ladies were two tall familiar figures, Ace with a scar on his chest, the brother he buried nearly five years ago; And Sabo with new burn scares around his throat and covering more of his face, the brother he buried just a few days ago, both with their eyes closed as if asleep. His eyes wandered, taking in his big brothers, family, parents, his world. Memorizing every freckled and strand of hair- he hadn't seen Ace in so long. He forced himself to look away, to meet the gaze of his gaping crews' eyes, but his eyes couldn't stray long, glancing back in fear that the image of his brothers would disappear.

"Well, _Pirate King_?" One of the ladies asked.

"We can give them back to you." The second lady continued, resting her hand on Ace's shoulder.

"You miss them, don't you?" The third ended. A coy smile on their lips.

And he does. He does so much it aches. What he wouldn't do for his brothers! To have Ace ruffling his hair again and Sabo explaining things he didn't understand, to have them hug him again! To-

But his crew. His crew that he chose and that stayed with him. His friends, the closest thing he had to a family after his brothers. His eyes shifted taking in his friends' forms, they were beginning up against something- an invisible wall- truly a mystery wall. He watched as Nami's orange hair flew around her face in tears as she watched him. Zoro and Sanji yelling slamming into the wall repeatable. In the back, he could see Chopper bandaging Jimbe carefully both looking up every few movements. Franky was building something firing it off at the wall and making explosions every few minutes Usopp close by trying to help. It was Robin and Brook that stood silently, watching him with sad, so sad eyes saying they understood and wouldn't be mad no matter what he chose.

His eyes slide across their forms before looking back at the women. His eyes suddenly sharp and his voice hard.

"What do you mean _or?"_ he barked, sliding his feet out into a wider stance.

It was the first blue woman, the one with dark black hair that spoke. "Either your brothers' live of your crew."

"Who are you willing to sacrifice?"

One stepped forward, a curved knife in her hand. "Who will you kill?"


	2. Chapter 2

A flag stood proudly overhead. The jolly roger waving in the sea breeze. Ace and Sabo watched from there place at the bow of the ship, they gaze on the horizon.

"Do you feel that?"

Nodding his head, the blonde turned around and called out. "Set sail towards the north."

A slow predatory grin spread across the green haired sword's man.

"I just got the if we follow the strange pulling I will die disease."

"If were going to follow it, we need to get more supplies, you shitheads."

"And medicine!"

"SUPER! We should get more cola!"

"Perhaps, it will lead us to our unmarked graves."

"It might lead us to more Beli."

"Yohoho it feels like my heart is being pulled out of my chest, though I don't have a heart! Yohohohoh."

The jolly roger smiled down at the crew, the top hat wearing skull on top of a spade seemed to encourage them on.

Across the grand line heads were shifting and eyes glazed, all facing north. From the revolutionary base in Baltigo to the castle on Fishermen island, heads turned. From the green haired punk to the blue haired princess stopped their work eyes glazed.

"Pops."

The strongest man alive and pirate captain looked down at his oldest son, for a long moment they locked gazes.

"Guarhahaha, very well, tell your brothers to turn the ship and head north."

Some miles away a yellow submarine surfaced. The pirate crew came pouring out and onto the top of the sub. A tall man, the captain came out, his furred hat sat snug on his head and his sword at his side, a large thin fingered hand was rubbing at his chest and his face sat pinched up and confused.

"Head north."

In another sea a red-haired captain put down his drink and hosted himself up. Head titled he walked towards the edge of his ship, ignoring his parting crew, and closed his eyes to listen. For a long moment he could only hear the sea. He pivoted and shouted to his crew.

"Turn the ship, were heading towards the new world!"

On the last island sat three women humming softly among themselves. Behind them in an amber clear rock was a boy, asleep on his side and clutching a warn red hat.

"We must right the wrongs." The first woman said.

"We must topple the world." The second sang.

"We must save the king." The third scolded.

"The brothers of kings,

Crew that sings,

Must save the savior of all.

Lover of kings,

Healer of everything,

Must save the memory of all.

The lover of the brother,

Guard of another,

Must save the will of all."


	3. Chapter 3

It was the Top hat Spade Pirates that landed first. On an island in the middle of the new world, covered in a large lush forest that reminded the two captains of their home island. With a grin and hearty meal, the crew set out to explore. Making their way through the jungle and towards the middle of the island. As they got closure to the middle they paused as they noticed, not event their directionally challenged crew member had gotten lost, all being pulled in the same direction.

"Were getting closure." Ace blurted out, pausing in confusion, unsure how he knew that.

"Just over this ridge," Sabo continued glancing at his brother/best friend, "something important is there."

Zoro tensed, pulling out one of his swords, as the rest of the crew got ready. The air suddenly becoming thick and unbearable. Ace's shoulders began to sizzle and ignite, and Sabo brought his pipe forward, clutching it protectively in front of himself, as they began their trek towards the pull more carefully.

They pushed through bushes and low branched until they fell into a clearing. A flat meadow that was the dead center of the island. Flowers bloomed, and grass was up to their knees, Chopper having jumped onto Franky's shoulders would have been covered in the flowing waves of green. Ruining the picture, in the center of the clearing was a large yellow stone that glistened and glittered in the sun. The surface seemed see through but towards the center became foggy and clear.

The hairs on their neck stood up and the crew cautiously approached the stone but could not bring themselves to touch it.

On the other shore the red-haired pirates docked and took off without a word. Shanks' expression uncharacteristically serious as he orders some of his crew behind to watch the ship as he took the other's through the forest.

Some miles away, Whitebeard's ship docked, and commanders and captain piled out and head towards the island.

A small skiff of a boat sailed up to the shore, Hank, Koala, and Ivanov tumbled out.

Peeking up from the waved a yellow sub carefully moved forward, the crew tense as they noticed no sea life swimming around the islands and their log pose mysteriously not picking up the island right in front of them.

Each turned and began their trek through the jungle. Each wondering how in such a lush, green jungle no animal seemed to live. There was no buzzing from bugs, no branched snapping from animals hopping around, and no caws or cries in the darkest parts of the island. Each crew tensed, and stomach churned. It's almost as if no life lived on the island at all.

It was the Whitebeards that were the second to reach the clearing, nearly dusk they broke out of the trees to find a stone nearly the size of a small ship. A crew, vaguely familiar from wanted posters, were gathered around, and looking at the stone as if in a trance. It was only as they got closure that they found out why they seemed so confused and concerned. Inside the clear amber stone, shining from the middle…

"LUFFY?!"

The Top Hat Spades turned their heads. Near the where the whitebeard crew stood looking on in horror, a red-haired pirate they recognized as another emperor of the sea came bolting forward with crew close behind. They ran until they were inches away from the stone, each of the men wide eyed and stricken as they ran around the stone and looked heart broken at the boy inside.

"Luffy!" The red-haired pirate screamed again, calling out to the boy that was suspended inside the stone.

"I don't think he can hear you." The surgeon of death said dryly, stepping forward from the forest with a hand full of his crew.

"SHUT UP!" The Crew screamed.

"We have to get him out of there." Shanks declared, lifting his saber to try and chisel at the stone.

"There has to be something we can do," Yassop cried out.

"I'm sure if you'd calm yourselves we could think this through." A dry voice called out and stepping through the dense jungle leaves the revolutionaries stepped out.

"Who is he to you, red hair?" Whitebeard asked curiously.

"He was a boy that I bet the next generation on, I meet him almost ten years ago."

"The kid looks like he's six, that's impossible." Ace couldn't help but comment, scowling at the powerful pirates that stood before him.

"I know. We were waiting for him to become a pirate, we made a promise… he was supposed to find me." Shank admitted, feeling his eyes sting as he looked at the little boy.

For a long moment there is silence as the pirate crew mourned for the bright little boy that clung to their pant legs and learned all their songs.

"He did."


End file.
